Samsung Lions pitcher David Buchanan splendidly decorated the last game of the first half.
Buchanan started against the KIA Tigers in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League held at Champions Field in Gwangju on the 13th and recorded 4 hits, 8 strikeouts, 4 walks and 1 run in 9 innings, leading the team to a 4-1 victory and winning 7 seasons (6 losses). ) was harvested. Samsung ended the first half of the season with a 6-game losing streak against KIA.
Buchanan went on the mound in the ninth inning, aiming for his third KBO shutout, but gave up an RBI grounder to Na Seong-beom at the 1st out, 2nd and 3rd bases and conceded a run. Nevertheless, Buchanan did not waver and finished the game with 119 pitches. It was the 4th individual KBO complete win and the first no-4 pitch complete win.
On this day, Buchanan kept 9 innings without showing signs of fatigue even though he took the mound after a 4-day break for the third time in the season. Before the game, Samsung coach Park Jin-man expressed his gratitude to Ace, saying, “I had an interview with Buchanan, and he said he was fine. In a difficult situation for the team, the responsibility of being the first starter is great.”
Pitching coach Jung Hyeon-wook, who knows Buchanan’s fighting spirit, came up to the mound in the ninth inning with one out on second and third base and did not talk to him about replacing him. He returned to the dugout instead, leaving behind the advice that he “don’t try to do more than you can, no matter the situation, whatever the outcome, focus on the hitter and go aggressive.” After the game, coach Park said, “Starter Buchanan led the team to victory by showing perfect pitching like an ace.”
Buchanan, whom I met after the game, smiled relievedly as먹튀검증 he loosened the laces of his spiked shoes that had been tight throughout the game. It was uncomfortable because it was tied longer than other times, but it didn’t show a tired expression. Buchanan, who climbed the mound in the ninth inning after throwing 102 pitches up to the eighth inning, said, “I didn’t feel any pressure or difficulty at all because I only had to throw one more inning after the eighth inning.”
“If I had thrown 5 innings with the same number of pitches, it would have been a difficult situation, but the 9th inning was different. I wanted to go up and complete the shutout as much as possible, but as you can see, a shutout is really difficult for a pitcher. So I tried to focus on each ball a little more.” He expressed his feelings after finishing episode 9.
Buchanan showed the appearance of a clear ace, who recently broke the team’s 5-game losing streak and 3-game losing streak, and ended the first half with victory. However, Buchanan said, “Looking back at recent games, there were many cases where our team lost even in losing games. Everything was doing well, but luck didn’t follow. I wish I could do everything,” he cheered on his colleagues.
Regarding himself, “Looking back, I think I did a good job in not giving as many walks as possible. Looking at today’s game, I was able to go all the way to the ninth inning because I didn’t walk as much as possible. If I allowed free advances, a lot of things would happen after that. I can do it, so I am satisfied with reducing the number of walks as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, Buchanan teamed up with Kim Jae-seong, not Kang Min-ho, for the first time in 17 games this season. This is because Kang Min-ho, who wore a catcher mask in the previous 16 games, suffered back pain in the game the previous day (12th) and missed that day. Buchanan showed unwavering control while playing with Kim Jae-sung for the first time as a battery, and Kim Jae-sung helped Buchanan win in the air and defense by recording the season 1 2-run home run, running away 3-0 in the 4th inning.
Buchanan said of Kim Jae-seong, “He is a pitcher with excellent catch-up skills. Today, even if the ball fell low, such as two-seam, cutter, and change-up, he did a good job framing as close to the zone as possible. I gained confidence as a player, and showed such a framing that I could throw a strike if I adjusted a little more because it’s a waste.”
However, after the game, Kim Jae-seong showed a humble appearance, saying, “I didn’t do anything. It’s all thanks to Buchanan’s good work.” Buchanan listened to Kim Jae-sung’s words and summarized the situation in one word. “It’s Team game”. It was a victory created by ‘comradeship’ in which each other trusts each other and turns the ball.